


Private Club

by SunnyD_lite



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen, season five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-06
Updated: 2010-04-06
Packaged: 2017-10-08 18:17:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyD_lite/pseuds/SunnyD_lite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More money than sense was an excellent quality in a customer</p>
            </blockquote>





	Private Club

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All hail mighty Joss.  
> TamingtheMuse Prompt: Compliance  
> A/N: Much thanks to Garnigal for last minute idea bouncing and betaing. All errors my own!

Anya looked up as the bell over the shop's door jingled its potential money tune. You just never knew if it would be someone looking for joke vomit or a new initiate who needed a whole set of expensive items.

She loved helping the new initiates with gold credit cards. More money than sense was an excellent quality in a customer.

Her perky sales face drooped as she identified who'd entered. "Oh, it's you."

"And a happy day to you too, Anya." The words were polite, but the tone was off. She really didn't get Xander's friends. Willow especially. "Giles said there was a new shipment of books. Can't wait to read them."

Anya moved to block Willow from the office where the crate from the Estate sale was being temporarily stored. "Look, we don't know what's there yet. I have to do an inventory."

Willow just brushed past her, knocking her into the doorframe. "Giles won't mind. Plus the others will be here soon. I just want a head start."

"Here? Why here?" They always brought food and left a mess for her to clean up. The Magic Box was a place of business, not their personal club house. Private clubs had better chairs. Rupert had mentioned something about leather chairs, but she'd dissuaded him. You didn't want people to linger without buying. And that clearly included the Scoobies.

Not that she was dumb enough to say that out loud, no matter how indiscrete Xander seemed to think she was.   
At least as long as Giles was still signing pay checks. If she had signing authority then..well, things would be done differently that's all.

Willow shot a look over her shoulder from where she was kneeling by the crate. "Where else? Buffy saw something on patrol last night so it's research party time. Oh look, the B'luken Histories."

"You really shouldn't –" her admonition was cut off as the bells rung again. This time she didn't need to look up as she could hear Xander.

"Six foot? With a nose horn? Like a trumpet or more sax like?"

"Xander!" That was Buffy. Anya turned to see her smack _her_ boyfriend.

"No touching my Xander! And you better not leave crumbs."

Great, now they were both looking at her strangely. Anya really didn't understand them. She was making perfect sense.

"Hey." Xander came closer and leaned in just as the doorbells jingled again. She ducked from his kiss and put on her best smile. You never knew when paying customers – the proper kind—would drop by. "Welcome to the" And now the kitchen witch was here.

"Umm hi." Tara said as if in a library. "Is Willow?"

"In here sweetie!" A smile broke over the blonde's face and she scurried to the office. Now both of them would be pawing the new inventory. She'd warned Rupert about potential dangers. Not that Tara worried her; from what Anya had seen, she had a healthy respect for power. Willow, given how cuddly she was still with Xander, obviously had no concept of limits.

"You do realize this is a business? Where the goal is to make money? Lots of money?" She looked around.

Xander and Buffy were sprawled in the uncomfortable chairs by the table and the witches were ignoring her. So, the usual. None of which was professional. Not at all. She stood glaring at them in turns until she caught her name.

"What?"

"Well, we could go through the books, but since it's a monster thing, I thought we could just ask." He was looking all adoring and kissable and what had he just said?

"And I know all the monsters, do I? Or you think I'm a monster? Vengeance demons were an elite group, I'll have you know. We didn't mix with just anyone."

Buffy had her head tilted. "You know, if I close my eyes and insert cheer leader for vengeance demon, it's like Cordy never left."

"Fine, if it will get you out of here sooner. What did it look like? Any noticeable odours?"

Buffy wrinkled her nose at that. How could she over look such an important difference? Humans were so stuck on the visual clues.

"Was kind of busy avoiding the tail with spikes and the nose horn." She sat there, waiting.

"That's not nearly enough information. What color was it? Did it have a long gait or did it shuffle? There're about forty varieties if you can't narrow it down better than that." And why were they still here? Even Xander. She loved sex, but not at work. It divided her focus from the money. She hadn't said that out loud. Why was he being all grumpy faced Xander? One that wouldn't be giving her sex. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "Was the nose horn black or white?"

"Umm more of a, well like those candles there."

Anya opened her eyes and followed where the Slayer was pointing. "Oh, the slug ones? Maybe it was an H'nacken. They're more prone to financial fraud than property damage."

"But tail! Horns!" Buffy had both hands on the table and was leaning forward. "No way can those guys be demon accountants. They weren't wearing clothes, let alone boring suits. And they went into the back of this building. I tried but there was a spell or something. Bounced right off."

"Protection spell. Sounds like an expensive one, fifth level." Anya nodded. "Definitely an H'nacken trade mark."

"So how do we get in? Do I try and stop them?"

"I wouldn't invest with them, but it's white collar stuff. Unless." She really shouldn't mention that.   
She wanted the Magic Box to have as wide a market as possible.

"Unless?" growled out Buffy. No, this was pure Slayer. Annoying how they never ignored her when she wanted them to.

"Unless they're doing a barter trade. Greenbacks aren't the only currency you know."

Well that got them in a tizzy. She didn't know why. Barter made so much sense and no taxes to report. Clearly the IRS had demons creating the paperwork. She could see their logic system in the various deductions. Since it didn't look like they were going to leave anytime soon, she grabbed the duster and started to tidy up a bit. If she finished early, maybe Xander would reconsider sex.

She'd finished up the crystal ball display when Xander crowded up behind her. "Ayn?" His arms looped around her waist and squeezed. She leaned back and gave him a little wiggle. Yup definitely sex later.

"Any way to get past the protection spell?"

Did they need her to think of everything? "Did you try the front door?"

"What, just waltz in and ask to see the monsters?" Buffy snorted. Not very attractive. No wonder she was single.

"Go in as a by-law compliance officer. You get to see everything that way. Not that I think there's anything to see." Or shouldn't be after she made a call. The H'nacken had unusual snacking habits and she'd already ordered forty pounds of dried shrimp.

"You really think that would work?"

She was going to answer when Willow got into the discussion. Clearly her input wasn't needed. Private club indeed. And she wasn't a member.


End file.
